Concerning the approbations of the tzaddikim, Rabbi Yehudah Leib HaKohen1 and Rabbi Zusya,2 the previous Rebbe3 cites a tradition originating with the Mitteler Rebbe, the son of the author of the Tanya, as follows.

For twenty years the Alter Rebbe wrote the Tanya, revising, adding and deleting,4 critically examining every word and even (literally) every letter, so that in the final manuscript there was neither a missing nor a superfluous letter, not even the seemingly optional letter vav. Only then did he permit it to be copied and distributed to the public. As a result of the many copies and copyists, however, a great many errors found their way into the text. (It is recorded elsewhere that there were those who intentionally corrupted the text in order to ascribe to the Alter Rebbe heretical views, so that they could later attack him.)5 At that point the Alter Rebbe sent messengers6 to the aforementioned tzaddikkim, to confer with them on the printing of the Tanya and to request their approbations.

Both his colleagues expressed their enthusiasm over the book. R. Yehudah Leib HaKohen said: “The Tanya is an incense to counter all the spiritual plagues besetting the generations just before the arrival of Mashiach.” R. Zusya predicted: “With the Tanya the Jewish people will go out to greet the righteous Mashiach.”

Both indicated in their approbations that they were writing in the week of Parshat Ki Tavo (“when you enter the Land”). One of the emissaries, R. Moshe Vilenker, gave two reasons for this: Firstly, by studying the Tanya thoroughly one “enters the Land” in a spiritual sense, meaning that he makes the essential will of his soul manifest — for the word רצון (“will”) is related to ארץ (“land”).7 Secondly, the ways of serving G‑d taught in the Tanya serve to transmute the curses enumerated in Parshat Ki Tavo into blessings.

Both tzaddikkim, R. Moshe Vilenker went on to explain, similarly indicated their esteem for the Tanya in the way they dated their approbations. R. Yehudah Leib HaKohen wrote “the year תקנ״ו,”‎8 which is an acrostic for תניא קטורת נשמה ורוח — “Tanya is the incense for the spirit and soul” — in keeping with his comment quoted above; R. Zusya wrote the date as שנת פדותינו — “the year of our Redemption” — indicating, as above, that the Jewish people will greet Mashiach with the Tanya.

G‑d has aroused the spirit of the [two] partners, the outstanding and distinguished scholar, R. Shalom Shachna, son of R. Noach, and the outstanding and distinguished scholar R. Mordechai, son of R. Shmuel HaLevi,12

when one sees the hand[writing]s17 of the author, the rabbi and gaon, this G‑dly man, saintly and pure, pious and humble,

אשר מכבר נגלה מסתריו

whose hidden [powers] have been revealed long ago (i.e., despite his efforts to the contrary),

יושב בשבת תחכמוני אצל אדונינו מורינו ורבינו גאון עולם

when he sat at the seat of wisdom18 with our lord, master and teacher, the world gaon (i.e., the Maggid of Mezritch, who was a world authority in the revealed aspects of Torah, as well as the supreme authority in the realm of chassidic thought),

ודלה מים מבאר מים חיים

and he drew water from the well of living waters (— some understand this as an allusion to R. Avraham “the angel,” son of the Maggid, for the letters מבאר , meaning “from the well,” also spell אברם).

וכעת ישמח ישראל בהגלות דברי קדשו

Now Israel (an allusion to the Baal Shem Tov, whose name was Israel) will rejoice in the revelation of his holy words — for in Tanya, the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov find lucid intellectual expression,

המחובר להביא לבית הדפוס ללמד לעם ה׳ דרכי קדש

which have been compiled in preparation for the press, to teach the nation of G‑d the ways of holiness,

כאשר כל אחד יחזה בפנימיות דבריו

as anyone can perceive in the inner meaning of [the author’s] words.

והמפורסם אין צריך ראיה

That which is common knowledge needs no proof, and thus the Tanya would actually need no approbation,

רק מחשש קלקול הדבר, שלא יגרום היזק למדפיסים

but for the fear of damage, so that no harm be caused to the printers,

באתי ליתן תוקף ואזהרה לבל ירים איש את ידו ורגלו לדפוס

I hereby sound a firm warning — that no man raise his hand or foot19 to print [the Tanya]

עד משך חמש שנים מיום דלמטה

for a period of five years from the date below.

ושומע לדברי אלה יבוא עליו ברכת טוב

May he who heeds these words of mine be blessed with good.

הלא כה דברי המדבר זאת לכבוד התורה

These are the words of one who speaks thus for the glory of the Torah,

היום יום ג׳ פרשה תבא תקנ"ו לפרט קטן

This day, Tuesday, of the weekly portion Tavo, in the year 556 of the [sixth] millenium.

יהודא ליב הכהן

Yehudah Leib HaKohen

——— ● ———

הסכמת הרבנים שיחיובני הגאון המחבר זכרונו לברכהנשמתו עדן

Approbation of the rabbis, long may they liveSons of the author of blessed memoryWhose soul is in Eden

היות שהוסכם אצלינו ליתן רשות והרמנא להעלות על מכבש הדפוס

Whereas it has been agreed by us to grant permission and authorization to bring to the printing press,

לזכרון לבני ישראל

for a remembrance for the Children of Israel

כתוב דברי יושר ואמת, דברי אלקים חיים של אדוננו אבינו מורנו ורבנו, ז״ל

the20 written works of uprightness and truth,21 “words of the living G‑d” (as chassidic discourses are called) by our lord our father, master and teacher, of blessed memory,

כתובים בכתב ידו הקדושה בעצמו ולשונו הקדוש

recorded personally by his own holy hand in his own saintly expression,

שכל דבריו כגחלי אש בוערות ילהיבו הלבבות לקרבן לאביהן שבשמים

whose words are all like burning fiery coals which ignite people’s hearts, to draw them near to our Father in heaven; —

These discourses are collectively entitled Iggeret HaKodesh (“the holy epistle”), being mostly epistles sent by his holy eminence to teach the people of G‑d the way by which they should walk and the deed which they should do; —

“The way...” probably refers to the chassidic paths of self-perfection, those letters offering guidance in attaining love and awe of G‑d and in the proper service of G‑d through prayer and Torah study; while “the deed...” refers to the inspirational letters dealing with charity and the like.

Inasmuch as [our father] has made reference, in many places,22 to his Sefer Likutei Amarim, and since23 “the words of Torah are scanty in one place and ample in another,” so that some subjects in Iggeret HaKodesh are more fully elucidated in Likutei Amarim,and vice versa; —

Especially also since the [Iggeret HaKodesh] introduces new material (pertaining to Likutei Amarim) in the form of a Kuntres Acharon (“Later Pamphlet”) on certain chapters, which he wrote when he composed the Sefer Likutei Amarim; —

[The Kuntres Acharon] consists of profound discussions and insights in passages of the Zohar and Etz Chayim which appear to contradict one another,

וברוח מבינתו מישבם כל דיבור על אופניו שכתב בלקוטי אמרים

and in his understanding spirit [the author] resolves each passage according to its context as explained in Likutei Amarim — and thus this part of Iggeret HaKodesh is certainly directly connected to Likutei Amarim; 24 —

Accordingly, we have deemed it proper to join [the discourses in Iggeret HaKodesh] to the Sefer Likutei Amarim and Iggeret HaTeshuvah of his saintly eminence our lord father, master and teacher (i.e., to print them together).

אי לזאת באנו להטיל גודא רבה וגזרת נח״ש דרבנן דלית לה אסוותא

Therefore we hereby place a great fence (i.e., prohibition) and the נח״ש25(i.e., excommunication) of the Rabbis for which there is no remedy,

שלא ירים איש את ידו להדפיס כתבניתם או זה בלא זה

that no man lift his hand26 to print [these discourses] in their present form together with the Likutei Amarim, or one without the other,

Declared by Dov Ber, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chassid, saint of Israel, our teacher and master Shneur Zalman, of blessed memory, whose soul rests in the hidden treasurehouses of heaven.

Declared also by Chayim Avraham, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chassid, our teacher and master Shneur Zalman; may the memory of the tzaddik be blessed, whose soul rests in the hidden treasurehouses of heaven.

Examine well the first redaction of Likutei Amarim (reproduced by KPS, Brooklyn, N.Y. 5742/1982), and notes there. It is reasonable to assume that there were also many emendations in the text before the manuscript was released to the public to be copied. (— Comment by the Rebbe)

This adds insight to the Alter Rebbe’s reference — at the end of his Compiler’s Foreword — to “sundry and diverse” copyists (who caused errors to creep into the text), and likewise his statement that the printed Tanya would be “cleared of dross and errors.” (— Comment by the Rebbe)

Note that the author’s name appeared in neither the title page nor the approbations in the first seven editions. Only beginning with the eighth edition (Shklov, 5574/1814) was the author’s name included, posthumously, when also the approbation by the Alter Rebbe’s sons first appeared.

See Yevamot 49b on the superiority of Moshe Rabbeinu: “All the prophets gazed at Divinity through a non-luminous (or reflective‘) lens; Moshe Rabbeinu gazed through a luminous (or clear) lens.” Rambam defines this superiority in his Yad, Yesodei HaTorah, ch. 6; Moreh Nevuchim II, ch. 35; and his commentary on the Mishnah, introduction to the chapter known as Chelek, in Tractate Sanhedrin, Principle 7. (— Comment by the Rebbe)

נדוי, חרם, שמתא — three forms of excommunication, which also form in acrostic the word נח״ש — “snake”, hence the expression “for which (i.e. ‘for whose bite’) there is no remedy” (cf. Tractate Shabbat 110a).

“To date, I have found no explanation for the variations in the titles with which each of the Alter Rebbe’s sons describes his father in his signature, and why each in succession omits two words from the signature of the one before him (as the text appears in all editions beginning with that of 5660 1900).” (— Comment by the Rebbe)

It has been suggested that at the time of signing the approbation, the first signatory, as the Alter Rebbe’s successor, was himself a Rebbe, a “saint in Israel”; he therefore emphasizes the Alter Rebbe’s greatness in being a “saint in Israel.” The second signatory was at the time a rav and a halachic authority, and he therefore places the emphasis on the Alter Rebbe’s greatness as “our master and teacher.” The third signatory was then a gaon and a chassid (as is known from the traditions handed on by the leaders of Chabad), and he therefore emphasizes the Alter Rebbe’s greatness as a gaon and chassid.

In the same vein we could also understand the distinctive phrase, “the memory of the tzaddik be blessed,” in the second signature — based on the tradition that the second signatory was outstanding in his righteousness and humility.

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